a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Discussion and advice about emulating the QL on other machines.
User avatar
dilwyn
Mr QL
Posts: 2753
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:39 pm

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by dilwyn »

RWAP wrote: Any more ideas? Where is the QL source for QLPUI I wonder - maybe we need to add QPC2 high colour mode to it...
Author is Peter Graf.
I seem to remember QLPUI is only a demo - it can't actually run QL software other than the little programs such as a Notepad supplied with it.

It's a port of the DEPUI project http://www.deleveld.dds.nl/depui33/depui.htm


User avatar
Peter
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:47 am

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by Peter »

RWAP wrote:Any more ideas? Where is the QL source for QLPUI I wonder - maybe we need to add QPC2 high colour mode to it...
Maybe it would be better to add Q40/Q60 mode to QPC2, a feature of more general use?

QLPUI was ported/written by me, based on work from Doug Eleveld. I was looking for highcolor under QDOS/Minerva, where the Pointer Environment does not support it. Because QLPUI replaces the Pointer Environment, it has to include low-level drivers for hardware, at this time only for Q40/Q60. E.g. the serial mouse, which Q-Emulator also supports. It should be easy to get it running on the Q68, which also has the Q40/Q60 modes.

The executable on the Q-Emulator page is just a demo, not showing more interesting stuff I wrote for QLPUI later on. It surprised me that the demo appeared there.

I did not release QLPUI, because all programs using QLPUI still had to be linked together into one executable at the time.
And the programs had to be written in C language, no BASIC support. I did not find the time to improve that.

Is QLPUI still of interest, now that SMSQ/E has become free software? If yes, why?


User avatar
Peter
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:47 am

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by Peter »

tofro wrote:QPC and Q60 video modes are close enought that you'd normally see at least something on the screen (in garbled colours, as the RGB order is reversed between the two systems). You probably don't see anything at all because video memory location is in different places between QPC and Q60. And, depending on configured memory sizes, you might also simply experience a crash.
It is certainly a different memory location. QPC doesn't even have a fixed memory location, or at least doesn't specify anything.

Also QPC has no video mode registers that could be used by QLPUI to switch the modes without using the PE.

Last but not least QPC emulates only SMSQ/E, which always includes the PE. Under QPC, the PE can not be disabled and will clash with QLPUI.

So unlike Qemulator, reliable support for QPC can not be added to QLPUI.


RWAP
RWAP Master
Posts: 2834
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:51 pm
Location: Stone, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by RWAP »

Thanks for the explanation Peter. I see now why it would not work on QPC2 - although presumably it could be adapted to run on an Aurora machine

Whilst SMSQ/e and the pointer environment is a nice GUI for the QL, it is always nice to explore the alternatives - especially if they use less memory / resources and offer access to porting more apps (albeit in C).

Would it be possible for you to add the sources to the Sinclair QL GitHub - https://github.com/SinclairQL (pm me with your github username and I will add you to the team)

At least that might get others interested in writing for the QL and seeing how things are adapted / work ....


User avatar
Peter
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:47 am

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by Peter »

Sigh... my QLPUI sources are not in a publicly releaseable state. I was in the middle of some changes, could be 10 or 15 years ago.

The little time I have for QL goes toward Q68 first. Maybe I'll look at QLPUI later, clean up the code and add Q68 support.

QLPUI won't use less memory/resources than the PE. The question would be wether some features, e.g. proportional fonts or themeing, make it worthwhile.


RWAP
RWAP Master
Posts: 2834
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:51 pm
Location: Stone, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by RWAP »

Peter wrote:Sigh... my QLPUI sources are not in a publicly releaseable state. I was in the middle of some changes, could be 10 or 15 years ago.

The little time I have for QL goes toward Q68 first. Maybe I'll look at QLPUI later, clean up the code and add Q68 support.

QLPUI won't use less memory/resources than the PE. The question would be wether some features, e.g. proportional fonts or themeing, make it worthwhile.
OK - what a shame :(

Certainly proportional fonts have to be the biggest thing missing from the PE in my opinion - there is already the option to use themes for colours...


User avatar
Peter
QL Wafer Drive
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:47 am

Re: a problem getting an emulator to run a gui

Post by Peter »

Themes on QLPUI also change shape and general look of windows and other widgets. Maybe try selecting different themes in the demo to see what I mean.


Post Reply